Rail



W. McCLENAHAN.

RAIL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY5. 1918.

Patented May 18, 1920.

'Il/II/IIIII/III/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIA awn 701?. WameMaEMJM/K/I770/PA/[)IS'I WALTER MOCLENAHAN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

RAIL.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

- Application filed July 5, 19.18. Serial No. 24332152.

To all whom itmag concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER McCLuNArIAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city and county oi-San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements: in Balls, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to. a rail, and particularly to a reinforcedconcrete metal covered rail.

One of the objects of the present invention is. to provide a reinforcedconcrete rail for ordinary train service and the; like, the weight ofwhich inay be considerably reduced when compared with "the standardsteel rail, while the cross sectional, strength is materially increased.

Anotherobject of, the, invention is to provide a concrete rail, which isinclosedby a steel shell to provide a durable; wearing surface, and toprotect the concrete, and furthermore to provide a reinforced rail ofthe character described a in which the actual amount of steel employedissmall when com-.

pared with an ordinary steel rail.

Further objects will hereinafter appear.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawings in which--- Figure 1 is aperspective view of the rail.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2-2, Fig. l.

- Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 33, Fig 1, showing the modified formof filler within the rail.

Fig. 4 is. a cross section on line 4-4, Fig. 1. V

Fig. 5 is a longitudinaland vertical section on line 5-5, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A in dicates in general the railforming the subject matter of the present invention. The rail consistsof a steel-shell having a cross section substantially such as shown.This shell may be formed by rolling the steel, or in any other suitablemanner, and it consists of a head member 2, a pair of side webs 3 andinturned bottom flanges i. The rail is furthermore provided with endblocks 5, which serve the purpose of strengthening the rails at theends, and also of securing the concrete against endwise removal. Theblocks 5 are also constructed of steel, and are preferably securedwithin the metal shell by being electrically welded,,or by any othersuitable means. The rail. thus constructed may be filled with anysuitable filler, but preferably concrete such as shown at 6, which isreinforced by longitudinally extending rods or like means such as shownat 7. The rail thus constructed may be supported upon concrete ties orwooden ties. In either instance it is, however, necessary to secure therail by means of bracket plates 8 placed on opposite sides of the rail.These brackets may be secured in any suitable manner, but preferably bybolts 9 extending through the side webs 3 of the rail, the base portionof each bracket being provided with openings 10 for the reception ofbolts ifconcrete ties are employed, or to. permit the driving of spikesif wooden ties are em-. ployed. by means of fish plates 11constructedsubstantially as shown in Figs. 1 and l, that is, the fishplates are rigidly bolted to the rails by means of side flanges 11 andare reinforced and strengthened by bottom, flanges 12 extending under.the metal housing or flanges l of the rail.

The spacing between the brackets 8 by which the rails are secured tothe; ties may be such as local conditions may require.

By referring to the several figures it will be seen that shoulder 16 isformed 011 each side of the head member 2. This shoulder extends fromend toend of the rail and engages the upper end of the brackets 8. Thehead is in this manner partly supported by said brackets, and is,therefore, not only reinforced, but the cross sectional strength of therail is materially increased.

I similarly wish it understood that the materials and finish of theseveral parts forming the rail and the brackets may be such as theexperience and the judgment or the manufacturer may dictate.

By referring to Fig. 8 it will be seen that a fiber or wooden fillerl isplaced in the head of the rail, while reinforced concrete is employed inthe base. This type of filler may be of considerable importance where tle rail is subjected to heavy traliic, as. the

constant vibration and pounding on the head of the rail might have adetrimental effect on the rail if concrete were solely mployed.

A rail constructed as shown in the seve figures is very much lighterthan an ordinary steel rail of the same size, due to the met that thequantity of steel employed is The rails are otherwise connected verysmall. The cross sectional strength of the rail is, however,comparatively greater; the actual cost of the rail is therefore verymuch less, and freighting and labor charges are correspondingly reduced.The steel blocks 5 placed at the ends of the rails are of considerableimportance, first, because they eliminate the necessity of placing endblocks against the rails when the concrete is being poured, and,secondly, because they strengthen the rails at their weakest points,that is, as a perfect joint between rails is practically impossible tomaintain, the car wheels when passing over the rail joints, therefore,have a tendency to hammer the rail ends; these may, therefore, be termedthe weak points of the rails. They are, however, in this instanceenormously strengthened by end blocks, which may extend inwardly anydistance desired, thereby relieving the concrete of the heaviestpounding to which the rails are subjected.

While concrete and a wood filler have here been described, I wish itunderstood that any other suitable filler may be employed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. A rail comprising a hollow head, a pair of webmembers, said webs supporting the head and formed integral therewith,and also forming a base for the rail, a non-metallic filler for the railand transverse closures at the ends of each rail section.

2. A rail comprising a hollow head, a pair of web members formedintegral therewith and also forming a base for the rail, a concretefiller for said webs and head, and bracket plates fitting the web sidesand having their upper edges engaging and supporting the shoulders onthe rail head.

3. A rail comprising a hollow metal shell forming a head and a pair ofweb members,

a concrete filler for the hollow shell, and a resilient fillerinterposed between the concrete filler and the head of the rail.

4:. A reinforced concrete rail, a metal covering for said rail extendingfrom end to end thereof, and a metal end piece secured in each end ofthe metal covering.

5. A rail comprising a hollow head, a pair of web members, said webssupporting the head and formed integral therewith and also forming abase for the rail. reinforcing rods positioned between the webs andextending from end to end of the rail, and a concrete filler for therail filling the space between the webs and the interior of the hollowhead.

6. A reinforced concrete rail, a metallic covering for said railextending from end to end thereof, a metal end piece secured in each endof the metal covering, and a resilient filler between the head of therail and the concrete.

7. A rail comprising a hollow steel shell having a non-metallic fillerfor the shell, and a metallic block fitting each end of the rail andsecured therein.

8. A rail comprising a hollow steel shell having a reinforced concretefiller for the shell, and metallic blocks fitting the interior of thesteel shell, one block being secured at each end of the rail.

9. A rail comprising a steel shell consisting of a head member and apair of outwardly flaring web members, a metallic block secured in eachend of the rail and fitting the interior thereof reinforcing rods withinthe steel shell extending substantially from end to end thereof, and aconcrete filler for the rail.

10. A rail comprising a steel shell consisting of a head member and apair of outwardly flaring web members,'a metallic block secured in eachend of the rail and fitting the interior thereof, reinforcing rodswithin the steel shell extending substantially from end to end thereof,a concrete filler for the rail, and a plurality of bracket memberssecured on each side of the rail, said bracket members being secured bybolts passing through the brackets and the side webs of the rail.

11. A rail comprising a steel shell consisting of a head member and apair of outwardly flaring web members, a metallic block secured in eachend of the rail and fitting the interior thereof, reinforcing rodswithin the steel shell extending substantially from end to end thereof,a concrete filler for the rail, a plurality of bracket members securedby bolts passing through the brackets and the side webs of the rail, anda shoulder formed on each side of the rail under the head memberextending from end to end of the rail, said shoulder engaging the upperends of the securing brackets.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

W. W. HEALEY, M. E. EWING.

